Bobcat in closet, javelina bites woman: 3 wildlife stories that happened near Tucson this week

When a Picture Rocks woman heard a noise and noticed her window screen was broken on Sunday, she wasn't sure if a person broke into her home or if an animal was the culprit.

After a walk into her closet, she soon got her answer: It was a bobcat.

After receiving a call from a third party, Animal Experts, Inc., led by Marc Hammond and Jeff Carver in the Tucson area, responded to the home to help get the bobcat out.

The duo walked into the 14-foot-long closet, closed the door, and used a catch pole to get the adult bobcat out of the back corner.

No one was injured, and the bobcat was released outside of the home.

Hammond said it's not normal for bobcats to enter homes. He thinks the bobcat may have seen a lizard on the window, prompting it to crash through the screen.

In other wildlife news this week, a Tucson woman was bitten by a javelina on Sunday night after officials say she fed it table scraps. 

She was treated and released at an urgent care facility.

It's illegal to intentionally feed wildlife in Pima County. The woman's case is under investigation with the Game and Fish Department. 

In a separate case, Game and Fish said a javelina was illegally killed on Tucson's west side on Monday. 

The department is offering a reward of up to $1,500 for information leading to an arrest in the killing. The Arizona chapter of Safari Club International is offering an additional reward of up to $500.

Two young javelinas were found unharmed at the scene and were taken to the Tucson Wildlife Center.

A javelina bit a woman near her home on Tucson's west side after she intentionally fed it, wildlife officials say.

The woman was treated and released from an urgent care facility on Sunday night. According to Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman Mark Hart, department officials recommended she receive a rabies shot.

The woman was a "habitual feeder of javelina," Game and Fish said. She may have been feeding them near her home, near West Speedway and North Painted Hills Drive, for years, Hart said. 

Hart said intentionally feeding javelinas is the leading cause of javelina bites in Arizona.

It's illegal to feed wildlife in Pima, Maricopa and Pinal counties. Doing so can result in a maximum $300 fine, he said. 

No citations have been made at this time, but Sunday's case is still under investigation. 

Earlier this month, the department urged the community to keep pumpkins and other seasonal decorations, such as squash and gourds, away from wildlife. 

Officials recommend displaying decorations inside instead, such as on a window sill where they can still be seen from outside. 

"Habituating wildlife to a human food source inevitably leads to conflicts with people and can result in serious harm in some cases," Urban Wildlife Specialist Locana de Souza previously said in a press release. "Furthermore, unintentional or intentional feeding can cause problems for wildlife, such as obesity and malnutrition, and promote the spread of disease."

Continually feeding food to wildlife can also make them not want to eat food that they find in the wild, Hart added.

A javelina was illegally killed at The Ranch at Star Pass, on Tucson's west side Monday, wildlife officials said. 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering a reward of up to $1,500 for information leading to an arrest in connection to the javelina killing at 9 p.m. Monday, the department said. The Arizona chapter of Safari Club International is offering an additional reward of up to $500.

The javelina died of blunt trauma.  

Two young javelinas on scene, at the apartment complex near West Anklam Road and South Greasewood Road, were rescued unharmed and taken to the Tucson Wildlife Center, the department said.

The department is asking anyone with information to call 800-352-0700.

The person or people responsible may face animal cruelty charges, the department said.